In Las Vegas, two family-owned Pitbulls attack infant baby girl while grandmother was babysitting. Infant was mauled to death.

In Las Vegas, an infant girl is dead as a result of a savage attack by two Pitbulls that were owned by the family. The grandmother was babysitting the infant when the attack occurred. She was also injured during the attack while she was trying to save the baby girl. Police arrived and killed the dogs at the scene.

Canine homicide is more likely to occur when more than one dog is present. There are some factors that contribute to the likelihood of being a victim or creating victims of dog bites or dog attacks. Dog owners and parents must consider all factors that contribute to aggressive behavior or pack mentality in dogs. These factors must be taken into consideration and should be avoided to prevent injuries to family, friends and children due to dog bites. The more factors that are present the greater the likelihood that a bite or attack may occur. Having two or more dogs unsupervised in a yard without the dog owner present is a significant risk factor for dog bites. The more dogs that are present the greater the risk for bites and attacks associated with pack behavior. Keeping a dog on a chain creates aggression and poor socialization in dogs. And statistically male dogs are more likely to bite. However dominant, poorly socialized or fearful female dogs will bite. Dogs that have not been neutered or spayed generally are more aggressive. And in the summer, the incidence of dog bites goes up because the opportunity for coming in contact with dogs goes up.

According to the Humane Society, every year approximately 4.7 million dog bites occur in the United States. That is almost 2% of the American population. Roughly 26 people are killed a year by dogs in the last decade. Approximately eighty percent of dog bites occur by an animal that is known to the victim and is usually a pet of the owner or neighbor. And most dog bites occur near the victim’s home. And over half the dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property. Children are three times more likely than adults to sustain serious injury from dog bites. Over half of the child victims sustain significant injury to the face. The Humane Society reports that over fifty percent of the bite victims are under the age of 13-years-old. One kennel reported that of the children killed by dogs (canine homicide), nearly 70% of the victims were under the age of ten-years-old, nearly 22% are under the age of one year and approximately 7% were sleeping infants. It is important to discern between dog bites and canine homicide. While Pit Bulls and Rottweilers are responsible for a large number of the canine homicides, all breeds and their owners are responsible for the high number of dog bites. You will recall the case of the Pomeranian dog that killed an infant while its owner was preparing a bottle in the other room. Even in communities where certain breeds are banned and there are low concentrations of “dangerous breeds” there is still the same frequency of dog bites in the population. Any dog can and will bite under certain circumstances.